


Dada and the Godfather

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-27
Updated: 2015-11-27
Packaged: 2018-05-03 15:03:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5295908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I read that in a Mr. Spock book.  No, I think it’s Dr. Spock…Mr. Spock is a Vulcan and surely knows little of human child rearing.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dada and the Godfather

“Good job, Noah. Now one, two, three, jump.”

Rafael jumped a few times and the toddler did the exact same.

“Great, and now one, two, three, hands on your head.”

Noah was really good at this game and Rafael always felt it was something he was good at as well. He was still getting used to interacting with someone as young as Noah. Because he did didn’t speak much, verbal communication was mostly out. Rafael was sure that Noah mostly understood him. 

Sometimes though, it was hard to know if Noah even felt like being bothered with his presence. Babies were tricky that way. This was compounded, in Rafael’s mind at least, by Noah rarely crying or whining about anything. Liv insisted that Noah loved him, his first word after all had been Rafael’s slightly mangled last name, but the ADA still worried.

“How about this one, Noah? One, two, three, shake it all about.”

Rafael shook out of his limbs and watched Noah do it too. It made the toddler laugh; when he lost his balance and fell down on his butt that seemed to be even funnier. Jumping back up with the energy only someone who wasn’t quite two had, Noah was ready for more.

“One, two, three, spin around! Spin around!”

Noah spun around a couple of times and laughed. He was looking at Uncle Rafi, Barpa, to keep the game going into infinity. Rafael barely knew how he started the game much less how to keep it going. Luckily he wasn’t on this mission alone.

“Noah?” Uncle Trevor got up from the couch and picked the boy up at the waist. “You wanna do the airplane?”

“Yeah!” Noah exclaimed, a wide grin on his chubby face.

“OK, here we go…one, two, three, fly!”

He threw Noah up into the air and Olivia screamed from the kitchen.

“Oh my god, Trevor!”

“He's fine.” Trevor caught him with little issue. “Don’t look mom, everything is OK. One, two, three, fly!”

Rafael watched Liv cover her eyes as Noah’s insane laughter filled the living room. Trevor again caught him with no difficulty.

“One more time and that’s all mommy can handle.” Liv said.

“The man is about to shut us down Noah. Wanna fly one more time?”

“Fly!” Noah exclaimed.

“OK. One, two, three, fly!”

Trevor tossed him up and Noah came down laughing like the happiest child on earth. He covered his godson’s face in kisses and raspberries before giving him a hug.

“Noah, tell me who the best Uncle ever is?” Trevor asked.

Noah smiled and pointed at his chest.

“You're a genius.” Trevor kissed his cheek. “My godson is a genius. Hey Noah, tell me who that guy is over there.” He pointed at Rafael.

“Barpa!” Noah exclaimed.

“Very good. And who is Barpa to you? Do you know, bud?”

“Dada.”

The shattering glass made Trevor turn toward the kitchen, Noah still in his arms. Rafael immediately rushed in there to make sure Liv was alright.

“It slipped out of my hands.” She said. “I was just…I think it was still wet.”

“I’ll help you clean it up.” Rafael grabbed the brush and dustpan from under the sink.

“I don’t want you to cut yourself, Counselor.”

“I'm fine. Luckily it’s just a few bigger pieces and it didn’t completely shatter.” He swept the glass into the dustpan.

“Hey Liv, can I read him his story tonight?” Trevor asked. He was already standing at the bookcase looking at what there was to offer.

“Sure. There's more books in his nursery if you don’t find a good one out here. Try to choose one with the heavy pages that Noah can't rip. He's a ripper these days. Dr. Seuss can only be read from afar.”

“We could read _The Sissy Duckling_.” Trevor said to Noah, who seemed to be reaching for another book. “It’s not exactly a PC title but I bet it’s pretty good. Which one did you want? Ohhh, _Goodnight Berenstain Bears_ …this could be better. Berenstain Bears it is. Let us retire to the couch.”

“You made a really good decision.” Rafael whispered as Olivia dried the rest of the glasses in her drain board.

“How do you mean?” she asked.

“Making Trevor Noah’s godfather. He really loves kids and I know he's going to be a great dad one day. I'm glad he has Noah to help him learn and grow.”

“The two of them get along so well. He loves all of his uncles but Uncle Trevor is his giant playmate. He has his own Noah space at Trevor’s place and that just makes it easier for them to be so comfortable together.”

“All of that was your idea, and it was a good one.”

“I was completely serious about Noah’s Uncle Squad. I know that you guys have so much to teach him and I can't wait. We’re going with Fin to baby street hockey on Sunday afternoon. I'm sure that’s going to be adorable. 

“Uncle Nick skyped last night before bed and they sang a really off-tune version of You are my Sunshine. Grandpa Don calls every Sunday night and makes Noah laugh with the most adorable faces that make me laugh too. We’re trying to teach him to say pop-pop…he came close last week. I want to see if it chokes Cragen up, which it will.”

“What about Uncle Sonny?” Rafael asked.

“I'm still working on Uncle Sonny. Do I want to leave Carisi in charge of Noah, even for an hour? It’s either going to be the most awesome hour Noah has that day, or it’s going to be a trip to the ER. I'm trying to find Carisi’s middle ground. I don’t want him to become the Evel Knievel Uncle.”

“The Godfather seems to be doing an excellent job as the Evel Knievel Uncle. Trevor is a multi-tasker.”

“Yeah, he is.” Liv smiled. 

She was wiping down the counters and listening to Trevor do a variety of bear voices while Noah moved between rapt attention and trying to repeat every word. He was being a chatty baby tonight and Liv loved it. There were some words, monosyllabic words that he had a good grasp on at seventeen months. He knew when to use them and in what context. The rest was coming along, slowly but surely. 

He had _Sesame Street_ and _Elmo’s World_ and Lucy always showed him old episodes of _Blue’s Clues_. There was another one he loved, called _Super Why_. Liv hardly knew what it was about except the kids jumped into books. One of the kids was a pig and that didn’t seem to be a big deal to the other characters.

“I think it’s definitely time for bed, bud.” Trevor said. “Brother and Sister are all tucked in and Noah comes next. Mom’s gonna handle the tough part. You wanna give Uncle Trevor a big old hug?”

Noah grinned and threw his arms around him. Trevor hugged him and kissed his cheek. When Liv came into the living room, he stood from the couch and handed her the baby.

“Night, night buddy.”

“Say night night to Uncle Rafael.” Liv said.

“Goodnight Noah.” Rafael smiled from the kitchen.

“Barpa!” he shouted it, as usual, and waved goodbye.

Liv pushed up the door once she and Noah were alone in the nursery. That left Trevor and Rafael alone in the living room and kitchen area. Trevor went and leaned against the counter. He was still standing in the living room; Rafael was on the other side.

“I think I'm going to have one more drink for the road. Does Liv have any beer in the fridge?”

“Um, she has…” Rafael opened the refrigerator door. “She has some Woodchuck.”

“Tell me it’s Granny Smith.”

“It’s Granny Smith.”

“Yes! Line me up, barkeep.”

Rafael smiled. He took two bottles from the six pack, opening one for Trevor and another for himself. He didn’t know how long Liv would be gone. Some evenings, putting down Noah only took a few minutes. Other times she wanted to hold him or sing to him; just have that private mother-son time. So the men would enjoy cider on her couch and wait to see when she could pull herself away.

“Did you teach Noah that?” Rafael asked.

“Did I teach Noah what?”

“Dada.”

“No.” Trevor shook his head. “I didn’t teach him that. I teach him a lot of things but not that. It’s usually a child’s first word because it’s simple to say. I read that in a Mr. Spock book. No, I think it’s Dr. Spock…Mr. Spock is a Vulcan and surely knows little of human child rearing.”

“Mr. Spock is half-human, and also brilliant.” Rafael said. “He probably knows a lot about human child rearing.”

“He didn’t write the book, Rafi.”

“He's never said it before; Noah I mean.”

“He said a version of cookie tonight and as far as I know he's never said that before either. I know it’s hard as hell to believe but Noah adores you.”

“It is hard to believe.” Rafael said.

“Why?”

“I'm not exactly good with kids. I have a handful of nieces and nephews and I still don’t know anything about kids.”

“What do you need to know? They like snacks and games and spinning around until they vomit sometimes. Sing to them, talk to them, change a few nasty diapers…you can do it.”

“I think I draw the line at diapers.”

“The first time I changed a shitty one on my own, I thought I was going to pass out.” Trevor said. “I got nauseous and my eyes began to water. I may have even blacked out for a minute or two. I couldn’t believe it was happening to me. Noah was still there, and still shitty, when I got back.”

Rafael laughed. He hadn’t changed a diaper yet. Even though he and Liv were now together she was doing the hard work with the baby. He wanted to try, thought he might want to try, but hadn’t brought it up to her. If they were going to stay together then he would eventually have to move into a more paternal role. 

He would change diapers and spend long nights with Noah when Liv had to work. He would have to bathe him, dress him, and maybe one day discipline him when he was bad. Rafael hadn’t had the best example where any of this was concerned. His father was a piece of shit. 

He provided monetarily for his family, most of the time. When Eduardo Barba wasn’t working, or having sex with women who weren't his wife, he was beating the hell out of his kids. Rafael’s older brother and younger sister weren't immune but he was disproportionately picked out for beatings. The idea that he could ever be so angry as to knock Noah against a wall or punch him in the chest…it made the ADA want to throw up.

“You have a strange look on your face.” Trevor said. “What's wrong?”

“Nothing.” Rafael shook his head and drank his cider. “It’s just been a long day. I'm a little tired.”

Trevor knew he was lying but didn’t plan to call him on it. He knew Rafael was worried about stepping up in a fatherly role with Noah. It was written all over his face even when he was doing so well in reality. He had faith in him though so Trevor wouldn’t let the fears get the best of his former lover. He smiled and put his hand on Rafael’s thigh.

“Hey, I should probably run something by you.”

“What's up?” Rafael asked.

“Are you two drinking?” Liv asked as she walked out of the nursery.

“What do you think?” Trevor looked up at her, holding up his bottle of cider.

“Ooh, a cider is the perfect way to end the day.” She said as she walked into the kitchen.

“You were going to run something by me?” Rafael asked.

“We’ll talk about it later.”

“Are you sure?”

“Mmm hmm.”

“What did I miss?” Liv came into the living room. Rafael and Trevor were sitting next to each other on the loveseat so Liv sat in Rafael’s lap. 

“We were just talking about a little of everything.” Her lover replied, kissing the nape of her neck.

“I'm actually going to get out of here.” Trevor finished his bottle of cider. “It’s been a great afternoon and evening, Barbas, but I gotta fly.”

“Barbas?” Liv raised an eyebrow. “We’re not married.”

“If you think that Rafi has any intention of ever letting you go, you are not the grand detective I know you to be Sergeant.”

“Why are you rushing off?” Rafael asked, giving him the slightly evil eye.

“I'm supposed to meet up with a friend. We’re going to have some political discourse over coffee, which will surely turn into intellectual bickering, which might turn into breakfast in bed tomorrow.”

“Does your friend have a name?” Liv asked, sliding onto the couch cushion. She was still leaning against her lover.

“She does, as a matter of fact. I plan to keep it to myself for now. I promise that you guys would be the first to know if we decided to take anything to the next level. Liv,” Trevor leaned to kiss her lips. “Have a wonderful night.”

“You too.”

“And you,” he kissed Rafael as well. “Recycle my bottle, would you?”

“I will. Have a good time.”

“Thanks.” Trevor grabbed his jacket from the hook by the front door. “Love you, see you.”

“Bye.” Liv held up her hand to wave.

“I guess it’s just you and me, kid.” Rafael put his arm around her.

“Whatever will we do?”

“I'm sure if we put our heads together we could think of something satisfactory for us both.”

“I know that I could.” She turned around, smiled, and kissed him. “Noah called you dada tonight. That was new.”

“I asked Trevor if he taught him to say it and he said that he didn’t.”

“Why would Trevor…do I want to know where the line of questioning came from?” Liv asked.

“I just wanted to know.” Rafael replied. “He said he didn’t and I believe him. Noah doesn’t talk a lot but I never assumed that was because he wasn’t aware of everything going on around him. Maybe he assumed I was dada because I'm here with mommy so much.”

“That’s true.”

“It doesn’t bother you does it? Other than dropping the glass earlier.”

“It just shocked me.” Liv said. “He said the word and he was referring directly to you. There's something about you, Rafael…”

“What?” he raised an eyebrow.

“I'm still working on that.”

“Do you want to work on it in the bedroom, Sergeant?”

“Why don’t you just fuck me right here, Counselor?” taking one more pull of her cider, Liv put it on the coffee table beside Trevor’s empty bottle. She climbed onto Rafael’s lap.

“It’s a loveseat.” Rafael reasoned.

“Do you have a problem with the loveseat?”

“There’s probably more room on your kitchen counter to be honest. If you can't take a nap on it, you cannot have sex on it.”

“I've had…nevermind.”

“Oh my God!” Rafael covered his ears. “Olivia, no, why would you ever say something like that?”

“I didn’t say it.” She shook her head and laughed. “I stopped myself from saying it.”

“I think I'm deaf in both ears now, and blind in one eye.” He closed an eye.

“You're not.” She took his hands from over his ears. “I'm sorry Rafi. Lo siento, mi cielo. (1)”

“You know what it does to me when you start speaking Spanish, Liv.”

He wrapped his arms around her waist, bouncing up from the couch as if she weighed no more than a bag of groceries. Rafael was turned on and planned to completely ignore the fact that she accidentally told him she had sex with Brian Cassidy on the loveseat. Liv let out a shout of surprise, tightening her arms around his neck so she wouldn’t land on the floor.

“Don’t wake the baby.” He mumbled before kissing her. “I'm going to need you all to myself for a little while.”

***

**Author's Note:**

> 1) I'm sorry, my sweet.


End file.
